Huckabee lashes Australia over Palestine recognition
'The timing has been very hurtful to any prospects of negotiating some settlement in Gaza with Hamas, they basically walked away'
United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has lashed the Albanese government for prematurely recognising a Palestinian state.
Speaking to the ABC’s 7:30 program, Huckabee said the US was disappointed that nations like Australia, the UK and others had decided to “pick this particular time to unilaterally recognise” a sate of Palestine.
“The timing has been very hurtful to any prospects of negotiating some settlement in Gaza with Hamas, they basically walked away. This is a gift to them, and it’s unfortunate, and it also is a violation of the agreement that was done in Oslo that any, any type of recognition of a Palestinian state would involve the Israelis. This clearly does not, and it’s, I would say it’s unfortunate, but it’s also very disappointing to the United States,” Huckabee told the ABC.
When asked if he had discussed the issue with President Trump, Huckabee said, “Absolutely, and we’ve discussed it at the State Department level with the Secretary, there’s an enormous level of disappointment and some disgust.
“You perhaps heard the secretary Rubio’s interview this past weekend, and he made it very clear that the result of this has been to completely halt any type of thoughtful negotiations going forward, and it’s just very terrible timing for this to come about.”
Huckabee described the emotional sentiment as “a sense of, you’ve got to be kidding. Why would they be doing this, and why would they be doing it now? And why wouldn’t they not be telling the United States or telling Israel, for that matter? To go out and make a public announcement like this, it was unseemly”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected Huckabee’s criticism on Friday on ABC Radio.
“He is an ambassador … to another country: not Australia, Israel. My job is to represent Australia’s interest,” Albanese said. “[There] is a huge momentum towards saying enough is enough … You break the cycle of violence by isolating Hamas, by not continuing to just do what has been happening since October 7.
“Israel, of course, has a right to defend itself, but how it defends itself also matters. We said that at the time, and clearly, what we have seen is more and more conflict, more and more innocent lives lost and you need to have a break of the cycle.”
Senior Labor Minister Mark Butler also contradicted Huckabee’s assertion that the US received no advance notice of Australia’s Palestinian statehood decision, saying a US State Department memo released shortly before Albanese’s Monday announcement contradicted Huckabee’s claims.
“There was a discussion between our Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Secretary of State [Marco] Rubio before the announcement of our decision. There is a read-out from the state department about that conversation. It wasn’t just about the situation in Israel and Gaza, but also importantly about the main focus of our relationship which of course is security and stability in our own region,” Butler told Channel 7.
“That was published very soon after the conversation … So I am not quite sure why the Ambassador to Israel says that. There was a conversation. This is the US Ambassador to Israel. His job is to manage the relationship between America and Israel, not the Ambassador to Australia.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon took aim at Albanese on Thursday for dismissing Hamas praise for his decision to recognise a Palestinian state as “propaganda”.
Albanese had dismissed Hamas’s praise when speaking to reporters in Brisbane on Thursday.
“It is Hamas which will engage in propaganda because they are being isolated because the world is horrified by the events of 7 October,” he said. “I won’t be a cheer squad for Hamas and for its statement – What I’ll do is say that Hamas should be isolated, and everyone in political lines in Australia should be a part of that.”
Maimon responded via Instagram, saying, “Calling out Hamas propaganda is right. Doing it only when it suits politics is not. Hamas always lies: about casualty numbers, about hiding in hospitals and schools, and about who really puts Gazans at risk. Truth is not selective.”
The criticism came after senior Hamas leader Hassan Yousef in the West Bank praised Australia’s recognition decision.
“We welcome Australia’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine, and consider it an important step towards achieving justice for our people and securing their legitimate rights,” Yousef told The Age. “This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination. We call on all countries, especially those that believe in freedom and human dignity, to follow Australia’s example.”
Yousef also claimed that Hamas’ 7 October attacks had influenced international opinion.
“Yes, we believe that the escalation of armed resistance, including the operations carried out on 7 October, has significantly contributed to highlighting the suffering of the Palestinian people and the injustice they face,” he told The Age. “These operations have drawn global attention to the Palestinian cause and compelled many countries and organisations to reconsider their positions, leading to greater support and recognition of Palestine as a state by some countries.”